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Some time ago, I quipped that, in their relentless rate of output, Cryo Chamber would eventually release an album for every letter of the alphabet. As yet untapped, I even suggested 'Y' being a likely contender in their near future, perhaps for one of their massive collaborative projects - there had to be some Old World denizen with a name starting with the letter they could draw inspiration from. Indeed there is! Not that I knew it existed, mind you, my knowledge of Lovecraftian lore generally gleaned from pop culture references (you know you got it made when South Park is riffing on you). Still, when the label announced the release for Yog-Sothoth, you bet I double-taked.

Did you know SiJ does solo albums too? Of course you do, because I've said as much in the past, though even these aren't technically always solo either. When Vlad Sikach initially launched the project, he had help from a couple associates, including Anna Vorobyeva on synths and Alena Perepadya on field recordings and photography. Hey, the design aesthetic was just as integral to the SiJ manifesto as the sound aesthetic, so it counts! Anna and Alena have remained a consistent presence, but many others have joined Vlad for collaborative work under the SiJ banner.

Many times people see the word “collaboration” and think it’s some small-scale thing that two or three artists come together to create a different sound than what they typically perform. But if you’re at all familiar with the label of Cryo Chamber then you know that the world collaboration means something special once a year. It means something epic, expansive, dark, and beautiful is coming. For the fourth time, twenty different artists have come together to proclaim their love for H.P. Lovecraft. This time embodying the entity locked outside the very universe: Yog-Sothoth.

Having taken in more of SiJ's music since my first dabbling last year, I'm surprised he's ended up with a couple albums on Cryo Chamber. For sure his style of dark ambient and sonic experiments works within the label's overall manifesto (cinematic drone, and all that), but his sense of sombre melancholy feels more benign than this genre typically goes. He's less about the bleak outlook and crippling depression, and more about quiet contemplation, reflective of inner struggles rather than chaotic turmoil. Or perhaps it's music capturing the moments following the strife, of accepting complacency, the calm of clarity that comes when all hope is finally lost. Not a cheering thought.

I’ve never given too much thought to picking a soundtrack to accompany my Submechanophobia, defined by Google search as “the fear of submerged objects.” And yet, Cryo Chamber has released just that: a nightmarish paean to one of Lovecraft’s enduring horrors that dredges sunless oceans to dump its aural harvest of dread squirming fresh upon the slab...

Cryo Chamber are continuing to push the limits of what fans can expect from them. The label has been incredibly successful over the last few years in bringing a new generation of listeners to the genre of dark ambient. Through a heavy presence on Youtube and Spotify, Cryo Chamber prove that the use of these free channels of listening can and will result in increased overall exposure and the slow but steady recruitment of die-hard followers that will ultimately support the label for years to come.

A truly unique and monumental undertaking is the reason for our review today. For more than one year, 20 dark ambient/drone artists from different parts of the globe linked their studios and sounds for the ability to work with one another; the ability to pay tribute to H.P. Lovecraft. The result is the new double CD, Yog-Sothoth; the 4th release in the Lovecraftian series.

The question of the infinite in regards to a poetic text – be it prose, paint or performed on an instrument – is unlikely to have been far from the mind of Raffaele Pezzella when curating this two hour plus compilation of twenty-two tracks from twenty-two separate projects. Something which can forever be returned to and which reveals an ever increasing scope must surely be considered fathomless. This is firmly rooted within the concept of the labyrinth. A musical path is laid out. Curated. It is a trail which requires your trust, your submission. To embark upon such a journey demands a receptive mind.

Russian artists Vladislav Sikach and Sergey Epifanov aka Sij and Item Caligo, joined hands to release this common work revealing 8 compositions. Both artists are truly work-addicts having released an impressive number of productions during the past years. Sij is also used to working with other artists; the list is too long to mention all other names he collaborated with, but you’ll find bands such as Textere Oris, Paul Minesweeper, Creation VI, Particula, Astral & Shit...

SiJ is up next and SiJ is another of the giants to appear on the anthology. Like Alphaxone, SiJ will take you on a journey. You may not like how it gets you there but you will always feel better because of the journey. Few Sounds from the House Near the Sea is a long title but it’s an apt title. The track is quiet to start off with. In my notes, I called it the sound of life without life. I’m not quite sure what I meant at the time but the description still seems to fit. The end of the album is shrill and harsh, like the shattering of an illusion. In terms of the labyrinth this track was one of those times where we, the listeners, had to decide whether to keep going through the labyrinth or give up.